As if on cue, the men in their beachwear … because they’re usually dressed uniformly per the occasion, line up in their cute little double rows. I hate feeling like I’m on display. “Ashley,” Kricket begins. “These ten men are all here for different reasons, but remain here for one purpose.”
“Let me guess … that’s me?” I squeal obnoxiously.
I hate the way Kricket is smiling at me. “Possibly. These ten men are here to choose between love and money, Ashley.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“The ten you see standing before you were asked to join a social research study. The qualifications to be included are to be single, focused on a career, and driven by the feeling of success. The first six months of the social study required seclusion and minimal contact with the general public, aside from work. Dating and relationships have been off limits. However, phase one has come to a close.”
“And what’s behind door two?” I shout, throwing my arms up in the air. None of this seems surprising at the moment. I feel like I’ve already come close to this conclusion.
“Throughout the next six months, these men will be tempted by an eligible bachelorette. However, they must remain focused on their careers and their original aspirations of success. If they can remain focused on their path without entering into relations or a relationship with our eligible bachelorette, you, they will each leave this social study two million dollars richer. However, if the love bug takes them down, they will have chosen to settle for a type of happiness money cannot buy.”
My blood is boiling and I feel like my body is going to combust into flames. “Are you [BLEEP] [BLEEP] kidding me right now? This is a [BLEEP] joke, isn’t it? We’re on TV, right?” Like the crazy person I’m personifying at the moment, I wave to the invisible cameras that I assume are all around me. “What was that beeping sound? I’m not allowed to swear?”
Kricket grabs my arm and pulls me away from the men. “Stop it. Stop it, right now. You have to stop.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. Are you even my soon-to-be sister-in-law?”
“Yes, I am,” she agrees. “As I said, I only read the part about the free rent and board. I didn’t know more came with the territory. Look, here’s how I see this … there are ten single men. If one of them wants to be with you versus receiving the money, doesn’t that say something?”
“No, Kricket, it doesn’t. They’ve all been banging on the door. So, what gives?”
She presses her finger against her lips in thought. “That’s a good question.”
“If I were in this for money, I wouldn’t be interested in the women who moved in next door.”
“Well, they are lonely and single, maybe they’re hoping if they earn your respect now, they can have a chance at you when this part of the study is complete. After all, you are their temptation.”
Their temptation. Is that all I am? “How nice.”
“We all know what most men have on their mind once every sixty seconds, or whatever the statistic is, right? They’re not allowed to touch you, or they lose, so have fun with this.”
For the first time since I arrived here, Kricket’s idea doesn’t make me hate her. These men and their stupid ideas of convincing me to like them with nothing to offer in return for six months … they deserve a lot worse than me leaving tomorrow.
“Why are you here?” I ask her. “Obviously it seems you’ve taken a backseat to the men’s attraction, which makes no sense to me, given how gorgeous you and Krow are.”
Kricket unexpectedly wraps her arms around my neck and gives me a quick hug. “You’re sweet for saying that. You’re stunning, so don’t be so quick to assume they aren’t after you for legitimate reasons. The men were told Krow and I have significant others, and we’re here on business for a few months. In the meantime, there can’t be ten winners walking away from this. That would be a waste of money, right?”
I place my hands on the sides of my head, trying to understand what she’s getting at. “Wait, so you’re here to make them buckle and lose the money?”
“We are your black widows, Ashley.”
“Black widows?” I repeat.
“The research company conducting this, the one your brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law are affiliated with and have invested interest with, want the data but need to test the theories to their limitations.”
“That sounds evil and awful—inhumane really,” I state.
“It sounds like a reality TV show in the making,” she concurs.
I sigh and conclude that I’m stuck here until this is all over. Throughout my life, I have made a concerted effort to make lemonade out of lemons, and while I wasn’t on board with this nonsense twenty minutes ago, I’m in the mood to have a little postgraduate fun now.
Payback is a bitch, Bradley.
“Okay,” I tell Kricket. “Let’s do this.”
“Eek, okay now that we can be friends for real, I’m on your side. We can have a good time here.”
